Guillaume Hoarau, whom everyone calls "16", is the adventurer of Best Batteries. The nickname has nothing to do with geography: it comes from his openly admitted fondness for a certain lager whose name ends in 1664, which insiders happily shorten to "16". The team settled the matter long ago, it will be "16" on his badge as well as at the coffee machine.
As head of content and, officially, the site's publication manager, he sets the tone of the editorial line, approves the articles and keeps the whole thing consistent. A power bank specialist, he has put hundreds of them through their paces, from the tiniest models to fifty-thousand-milliamp-hour monsters. His method is unlike any other: rather than the laboratory, he chooses real life. He takes the units hiking, lends them to his children for their tablets and puts them through everyday abuse for weeks before writing a single line. The result: tests that talk about real use, actual weight in the backpack and usable runtime, not just numbers.
Convinced that honest content is what sets Best Batteries apart from ordinary shops, he constantly pushes the team to go further. His guides on choosing a power bank, taking batteries on a plane and portable solar panels are among the most-read pieces on the blog.
Away from the office, Guillaume lives his passion to the full. A fan of wild camping, hiking and travel, he is also hooked on prepping and survivalism. For a few years now he has been restoring an old farmhouse he dreams of making fully self-sufficient: already 100% energy-independent (solar, wind and storage batteries), and not far off for the rest. Needless to say, he tests solar power banks and power stations in the most real-world conditions imaginable. That sensibility makes him the natural writer for the site whenever a topic touches on autonomy, energy resilience or gear for getting by far from the grid.
How many times will a 20,000 mAh power bank actually recharge a smartphone, a Nintendo Switch, or a laptop? Here is the detailed, device-by-device math, no marketing spin included.
Published on July 24, 2026 by Guillaume
A solar power bank: genuinely useful or a marketing gimmick? We explain what solar top-up charging is really worth, which uses actually make sense, and how to pick the right model without falling for the false promises.
Published on July 23, 2026 by Guillaume
Power bank, laptop, spare batteries: what can you really take on a plane, and where? Between watt-hour thresholds and the ban in the hold, we sum up everything you need to clear security with peace of mind and never get your battery confiscated.
Published on July 8, 2026 by Guillaume
Recharging your power station or your phone far from any socket is the promise of the portable solar panel. You just have to pick the right one: real power, weight, connectors and efficiency vary enormously. Here is our selection, from the ultralight model for trekking to the big panel that refills a station in a few hours.
Published on July 16, 2026 by Guillaume
A camping fridge can stay cold for a night, a weekend or several days: it all comes down to the power station feeding it. Capacity in Wh, 12 V output, solar top-up: here is our field-tested method to calculate the real runtime and pick the portable battery truly suited to your cooler.
Published on July 15, 2026 by Guillaume
A power bank looks simple, right up until you have to pick one. Capacity, power, MagSafe, fast charging, airline rules: the criteria pile up fast. Portable energy has been our job for more than ten years, so here, jargon-free, is the method we use to find the power bank that truly fits your needs.
Published on July 15, 2026 by Guillaume
A good power bank means never running flat far from an outlet. But between the ultralight for hikers and the heavyweight that charges a laptop, the right choice depends on how you travel. Here is our field-tested selection of the five best travel power banks of the moment.
Published on July 12, 2026 by Guillaume
Updated on July 23, 2026